Matt Damon speaks of career regrets

The makers of ‘Avatar’, the hugely successful film directed by James Cameron originally offered the lead role to Matt Damon, who turned down that offer and later on says, he regrets it.

Matt Damon was originally offered the leading role of the crippled marine, Jake Sully. Instead the roll went to an Australian actor named Sam Worthington as Matt ended up passing on it due to issues in scheduling.

Talking with Playboy magazine he said that he really wanted to work with James Cameron, and still wants too. He knew the film was going be a hit and everyone would see it, and he could just as easily have been the star.

The director, once Damon had said that he was unable to take on the lead, gave him the option of another role and he says that he remembers thinking that whoever got the lead would be one lucky guy, but ultimately was unable to take part due to his schedule.

Matt Damon speaks of career regrets

He also was supposed to be in the Gay cowboy film, Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee opposite Joaquin Phoenix, but he had just finished ‘All The Pretty Horses’ as well as ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, which include two of the same themes.

Damon had discussed with Heath Ledger how he handled ferociously kissing another man in the scene, and Heath Ledger admits he drank half a case of beer before hand, but then laughed and added that you just need to go for it, and if you cannot pull it off then you have no right to be in the film.